I’m selling my house! Should I get new flooring?

Joel Dear of floormaker.co.uk asks whether or not it’s worth revamping a room that you’re not going to be using...

If you’re selling your house, you’ve got two main aims: enticing potential buyers to make an offer, and ensuring that said offer is as generous as possible!

Property experts refer to these factors as ‘saleability’ (how attractive the property is to potential buyers) and ‘value’ (how much the property is worth). To some extent, saleability and value go hand in hand, but most people end up having to choose one over the other – refusing early bids in the hope that larger offers are just around the corner, or stooping to a slightly more modest asking price for the sake of a speedy move.

Either way, though, your number one priority as a seller is to make the merchandise look attractive. A beautiful house will get snapped up much faster than its shabby-looking neighbours, and astounding appearances will go a long way towards justifying that enormous asking price. You might be tempted to save your decorating mana for after you’ve moved house, but whether you’re going for high value or outstanding saleability, giving your current residence a stunning new style will help you out big time.

Now, there are plenty of different ways to boost your property’s appeal, but one of the most popular methods is installing a new floor. Wood flooring can almost always be relied upon to improve both saleability and value, so why would anyone say no to a new floor when they’re about to up sticks and move elsewhere?

Well, that’s just it. It seems a shame to shell out for a solid wood floor that you’re not going to use, especially if you’re the one who has to get out the tools and install the damn thing. Again, it’s all too easy to postpone the whole DIY deal until you’re actually in a position to enjoy the fruits of your labour – i.e. to actually live in the house that you’ve just beautified. If you’re not going to be around to enjoy your brushed oak floor, what’s the point of purchasing it in the first instance?

Of course, if you’re serious about upping your property value, this is one injustice worth taking on the chin. Real wood flooring really does help to sell the product, and people will happily pay a little more for the effect it has.

But if you’re really not keen on the idea of installing a floor for somebody else, you can always just wait until you’ve moved into your new home, and then start shopping for an elegant wooden floor. Nobody ever reaches the top of the property ladder, and given five or ten years, there’s a good chance that your beautiful dream home will become the house you’re looking to sell. Installing a nice floor as soon as you arrive means that you’ll have a good few years to appreciate it, and when you do decide to reach for the next rung of the ladder, that same bit of flooring will still do wonders for value and saleability alike.